Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Morning Sickness: tips to beat it

Morning sickness in my first trimester kicked my butt. With my first pregnancy I was so sick that I lost 7 lbs my first trimester (not common) and had to use my maternity leave because I was too sick to work. With my second pregnancy I finally found the remedy that worked for me and I had a much more normal pregnancy. Now with my third I feel like I have been somewhere in between. Unlike most women I have had food aversions versus food cravings and during my first trimester nothing sounded good ever. Every meal and snack started with me standing in the kitchen trying to find the least objectionable food that I would be able to stomach. My morning sickness was all day every day and things like certain foods and movement made it worse. Here are my tips for surviving morning sickness during the first trimester:
  • If your nausea is preventing you from eating and functioning (like me) talk to your doctor to discuss your options. Anti nausea medicine, such as Zofran, did not work for me at all and the side effects were awful. However, they may work for you.
  • Try natural remedies. I used Psi Bracelets (which can be found here on Amazon) which are accupressure bracelets that relieve nausea. They decreased my my morning sickness and worked well with the next tip. *A quick note on essential oils and pregnancy- not all oils are safe for pregnancy, including peppermint essential oil. It can cause premature contractions. Always check what natural remedies are safe for pregnancy before using them.
  • Try combining remedies. The winner for me was doxylamine (sleep aid) and vitamin b6. It made a huge difference and while I still had food aversions I was no longer as nauseous. And not to overstate how well it worked, but it saved me big time with my second and third pregnancies.
  • Eat several small meals throughout the day. As soon as my stomach felt empty my nausea would go crazy and I would feel too sick to eat even though I was technically hungry.
  • Don't drink conventional ginger ale. It has a ton of sugar and a low concentration of ginger. Try a natural ginger ale from a health food store, make your own (which is easier than you think) or try sparkling water instead of soda all together.
  • Eat what you can. Stock up on stomach settling foods and what I call least objectionable items. You may feel like all you're eating is bread, but once you pull through you can add all the healthy yummy fresh foods that you have been avoiding.
  • Don't overeat. If you fill up too quickly you may lose it. Even if it sounds so good, just eat normal portions. 
  • Take your vitamins! Try as hard as you can to swallow those bad boys, or even try the chewable kind.
  • This is going to sound weird, but if you feel your food on its way up, drink some water before you lose it to aid in the return process. Diluting the food will make it easier to come up and will be less disgusting. Trust me on this one.
  • Rest! If you have the ability to lay down throughout the day it will help. A ton. 
  • Don't overdue it. You may also be feeling tired and when that is combined with nausea you will feel like a hot mess. If you can only stand up and complete a task for one minute, the do your one minute task and then rest. You will have to reorganize your day but remember you're growing a baby and after the first trimester you should be feeling better.
  • Ask for help. Family, friends, neighbors, anyone. Morning sickness usually alleviates after the first trimester and people are more than willing to help during that brief period. Overdoing it can make you more sick than if you were able to get help.
  • Make your outings short and to the point. I had my husband take over a lot of the grocery shopping duties but there were times I just had to do it myself. Walking through a grocery store when nauseous can be your worst enemy. Make a list, stick to it, and get out of there. Gagging in public is not pretty and losing it in public is mortifying. Trust me, I've done both.
  • Buy convenience items such as frozen meals, premade meals, prepackaged snacks/drinks, paper plates, plastic silverware etc. If you're feeling too sick to do most things, chances are you're too sick to cook over a hot stove then do the dishes. While I am normally opposed to convenience food (from a budgetary and health standpoint) my family, especially my kids, had to eat. The good news is that no one starved during my first trimester.
Hopefully these tips help. If you have any great tips for morning sickness, comment below, we love to hear from you!

No comments:

Post a Comment